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Fisher makes debut with Texas A&M against Demons

Fisher left Florida State for a 10-year, $75 million contract with the Aggies that comes with the expectation that he'll elevate Texas A&M into college football's elite.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Coach Jimbo Fisher makes his debut at Texas A&M on Thursday night against Northwestern State in what will be his team's only tuneup before a huge test against second-ranked Clemson.

Fisher left Florida State for a 10-year, $75 million contract with the Aggies that comes with the expectation that he'll elevate Texas A&M into college football's elite.

The Aggies haven't reached double-digit wins since Johnny Manziel helped them to an 11-2 record in his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2012. They went 7-5 and 4-4 in the Southeastern Conference last season, leaving them with plenty of work to do to even be talked about as one of the top teams in their conference, much less the country.

Still, Fisher believes he can win in College Station and that his new team is buying into a coaching philosophy that helped him lead the Seminoles to a national title in 2013 and three Atlantic Coast Conference championships.

"I feel confident about our football team," Fisher said. "I like our football team ... (got a) long way to go, nowhere close to where we need to be and can be. But as they continue to grow in what we're trying to do it will get better and better."

Fans will get their first look at Fisher's squad when the Aggies host the Demons, an FCS team from the Southland Conference. They also have a new coach who will be making his debut at the school in Brad Laird, a longtime defensive coordinator for the team who also holds the school's record for career yards passing.

"We're at the point where we just want to line up and play against somebody else," Laird said. "Northwestern State has been playing against Northwestern State since last spring, and finally, we get that opportunity to tee it up and go against somebody else Thursday night."

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